Sunday, June 21, 2015

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, Live at RFK Satdium, Washington DC, June 25th, 1995

     Hello folks. Got a quick today. As you may have read last time, I had the unique opportunity to see Phish on a Sat and then the Dead the next day in another city. You can read about the Phish show here

but this entry is about the Dead at RFK stadium in Washington DC, the venue I saw them the most at. So without further ado, Kempepedia presents It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, June 25th, live at RFK Stadium in Washington DC.
      By the time the summer tour rolled around, the Dead touring scene was fucked up. During the first week of April, they were supposed to do a 2 night stand in Tampa FL. Due to an illness in a band members' family, one of those shows had to be canceled. People rioted and the police had to be called in to restore order.
       When the summer tour started, things were no better. The first show was in Highgate, VT. Too many people and too much traffic made that a clusterfuck, probably similar to Phish at Coventry. Tiny little Vermont just can't handle all those people. People got struck by lightning outside RFK one of the nights. When it rolled into St Louis, over 100 people were injured at a campground when a balcony collapsed. And then people gated crashed at Deer Creek and the next night at the venue was canceled. The band issued a statement stating that if people couldn't get their act together, the Dead were going to take a break from touring. Looking back, it is obvious that all this was leading up to something big, but nobody could guess what was gonna happen in August.
       So right before the worst of the worst hit the fan, we rolled out of Philly to make the drive down I-95 to Washington DC. There was a huge back up of traffic going north on 95. I know someone who did the opposite of what we did and he confirmed he was caught in that backup. So glad we did it the way we did it.



06/25/95 (Sun)  Robert F. Kennedy Stadium - Washington, DC
Set 1: Shakedown Street, Wang Dang Doodle, Jack A Roe, Mama Tried (1) > Mexicali Blues (1), Loose Lucy, Picasso Moon

Set 2: Box Of Rain, Rain, Samson & Delilah, Ship of Fools, Truckin' > Rollin' & Tumblin' > Samba In The Rain > Drums > Space > Wharf Rat > Not Fade Away, E: Brokedown Palace

Comment: (1) Weir on acoustic. Hornsby on piano for entire show

You can stream it here

http://www.jamstreams.net/gd/1995/1995-06-25

      The show gets off with a bang. The Shakedown is nice and long and definitely has some Dancin' in the Streets teases. Had they busted that out, the place would have exploded. The rest of the first set is typical with the added treat of Bruce on the piano rather than the accordion he would break out when joining the boys after he stopped touring with them full time.
      Garcia's playing was much better than I expected as I really don't listen to too much 90's Dead anymore. He just sounds really old and tired. I'm gonna guess it was raining based on the first 2 songs. Samson has a blazing solo. I didn't know Rollin' and Tumblin' but Jerry is wearing all of his 52 years in that song.
       And there you have it. Only one more show with Jerry G and the boys to write about, but next week Trey A and the boys are give me something to smile about 20 years after the last time I saw them.

Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

Friday, June 12, 2015

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA. June 24th, 1995

     Hello everyone. Hope all is good in your hood. This is another entry in my 20 Years Ago series, but this one is a rather unique as I had the opportunity to see Phish one night and then the Grateful Dead the next when they both were doing two night runs in their respective cities. This is the first night. It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Mann Music Center In Philadelphia, PA, June 24th, 1995.
      By the Summer of 1995, I had moved back to Hanover after graduating from Penn State with my BA in American Studies (my PhD in Rock and Roll came later). I do remember being conflicted about missing a Dead show on June 24 at RFK stadium, but Phish really had a hold on me and I didn't want to miss what they were doing.






Saturday, 06/24/1995 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Fee[1] > Rift, Spock's Brain, Julius, Glide, Mound, Stash, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Halley's Comet > David Bowie, Lifeboy, Suzy Greenberg, Harry Hood, Acoustic Army, Sweet Adeline, Golgi Apparatus
Encore: Bold As Love
[1] Trey sang verses through megaphone.
Teases:
· Lifeboy tease in Suzy Greenberg

Notes: Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Suzy contained a Lifeboy tease from Trey. After Acoustic Army, Trey thanked the crowd for being so quiet. The band then proceeded to don surgical masks for Adeline. The masks were provided by a fan in the front – Trey thanked him for the “hats.” The encore was preceded by Random Note and Simpsons signals.



You can stream it here



      Don't remember much but Spock's Brain was awesome. The Stash is long but not as long as the Bowie, over 25 minutes of prime time Phish. This is the only time they did 2001>Halley's. I read it somewhere and through journalism, confirmed it. Nad told me he was walking to his seat in the balcony and it was bouncing in time to 2001.
      Pretty sure we camped that night and then made the trek south, to our nation's capital to see my boys one final time in the House Joe Gibbs Built, RFK Stadium.



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

Thursday, June 4, 2015

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, live at the NIssan Pavilion, Bristow, VA June 17th, 1995

      Hello folks. Hope you are doing OK, living the high life until the Fare Thee Well shows and Phish's Summer Tour. I'm moving across town and vacating the apartment I've called home for 15 and a half years so I have 4 shows to squeeze in between now and the end of the month. So let's get this show on the road with another trip down memory lane, It Was 20 years Ago Today, Phish, Live at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA on June 17, 1995.



       I had lawn tickets for this show but Nad was in love and had to skip it, so by default I got his orchestra tickets and they were great seats. My friend LST came with me. This was a brand new venue and was really puzzled why Phish was playing here instead of Merriweather. So glad they eventually rectified that oversight.


Saturday, 06/17/1995
Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA

Soundcheck: Johnny B. Goode
Set 1: Divided Sky, Suzy Greenberg, Taste, Fee[1] -> Uncle Pen, Julius, Lawn Boy, The Curtain -> Stash
Set 2: Wilson > Maze, Mound > Tweezer -> Johnny B. Goode[2] -> Tweezer -> McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Acoustic Army, Sweet Adeline, Harry Hood, Sample in a Jar
Encore: Three Little Birds[3]
[1] Trey sang verses through megaphone.
[2] Phish debut.
[3] Phish debut; LeRoi Moore and Dave Matthews.
Teases:
· The Curtain tease in Stash
· Montana tease in Tweezer
Notes: Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Johnny B. Goode and Three Little Birds made their Phish debuts at this show, the latter with a guest appearance by LeRoi Moore and Dave Matthews. Tweezer included a tease of A Live One’s Montana. Stash segued out of Curtain and included Curtain teases.
You can stream it here


       First set was solid with the highlight being Stash. The second set was all about the Tweezer. The debut of Johnny B Goode was really surprising and it comes roaring out of space. The rarity McGrupp made an appearance. I got spoiled by how often I saw it my first 2 years of seeing Phish. The encore was really cool and added bonus, LST LOVES Dave Mathews, so that really flipped her lid.
       We made our way out to the Lot and a nitrous vendor had set up shop right next to my car. My car escaped undamaged and I'm pretty sure we got a freebie for allowing the chaos to ensue next door. Up next, the crazy double shot of seeing Phish in Philly on a Saturday and then the Dead in Washington DC on a Sunday back in 1995.


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll